Chapter 106

Chapter 106

From Cosmic Rascal to Professor.

Episode 106: A Prudent College Life (6).

As is often the case in the Golden Zone, the Holy Spirit Hospital occupies a prime location.

No, I assure you, Outer Gods hold no sway here.

From a galactic perspective, this area is sparsely populated, a patch of land deemed worthless. Yet, if you remain holed up here, it offers a sense of safety.

It’s tantalizing.

Including the property acquisition tax, I shelled out around 20 billion credits, and voilà—I now have a house in my name. The Southern Holy Spirit Hospital is officially mine. I can do with it as I please.

Well, that’s not entirely true. Feeling a twinge of guilt, I put it in my sibling’s name instead.

And as a result…

Ceti: You crazy bastard

Do you really want to die?

A dumbass who invented belt restoration technology, what the fuck?

You poured 20 billion credits into a useless piece of land, you lunatic!

Fuck, my money is gone!

You even have to pay taxes when you sell this shit!

It’s fucking insane!

A barrage of text messages from my younger sister arrives, far scarier than any health insurance fee bomb.

But I, Aidel von Reinhardt, have lived with Ceti for almost two years now. I can tell when my sister is genuinely angry.

I can confidently assert that Ceti isn’t truly furious. If she were, she would have stormed over to beat me up without a second thought.

So, this is an implicit agreement, a deal.

Alright, sister. I’ll leverage this land to elevate you to the head of the family, just as you desire.

But in return, you’d better earn a substantial amount for your brother’s research funds, understood?

The negotiation is settled, and now it’s time for me to get to work.

“From now on, we will begin the seminar.”

“?”

“Ahem.”

I clear my throat and make eye contact with the student.

Her sparkling eyes reflect her readiness for the lesson. Even in her upright posture, a sense of discipline radiates from her.

I’ve spent an entire week preparing this presentation for those who aren’t majoring in the subject. As the content projects onto the blackboard through the beam projector, large letters emerge.

Regarding Quantum Gravity and Resonator Theory

Subtitle: Easy Enough for Even a Fool to Understand

“I am conducting collaborative research with Professor Kallis Stranov. The topic is as stated in the presentation.”

“What the…”

“That’s a good question. You’re probably wondering what this is. It’s a technique designed to render Outer Gods powerless.”

I explain everything I can to Ire while subtly promoting myself.

“I laid the groundwork for this resonator theory over two weeks. Do you see this formula here? It’s called the FR model, and I was the first to develop it.”

Telling the protagonist, who is struggling against the Outer God, ‘I’m on your side’ feels far less impactful than this approach. At least, that was my belief.

“To you who are suffering from the Outer God! As soon as a prototype of this resonator is ready, I will give you the opportunity to use it. Originally, I intended to charge 1 billion credits per use. Still, for my first customer, I’ll offer it for free—up to five times!”

“What the hell…”

“How about it? Isn’t that a good deal?”

Lee Jinsu is on fire. With this kind of charisma, he could easily host a show.

However, contrary to my expectations, the response was lukewarm. Instead of beaming with excitement, Ire wore a grim expression.

The Outer God Steel ‘Flowing Like the Earth’ screams.

It seems that others are more enthusiastic.

“That bastard is ruining everything!”

After shouting obscenities and rampaging for a while, Safaul finally regained his composure with the help of his fellow Outer Gods.

“We must stop him.”

There was no time to waste—not even a moment.

Aidel von Reinhardt.

Before it’s too late, he must be killed.

As long as the host remains in the Holy Spirit’s abode, escape is impossible. The time-reversal properties of the Maxwell Legion are also hindered by the high ether density. Another method must be found.

Thus, the Outer Gods gathered their tentacles over the table.

“…….”

No matter how hard they tried, neither a good plan nor even the best one emerged.

In the end, they were forced to resort to the worst possible option.

“……someone must be sacrificed.”

Offering a companion as a sacrifice to gain control over Ire Hazlen’s body—that was their final conclusion.

“Do we really have to go that far?”

“We have no choice. Unless it’s a

, controlling an incarnate in a place like this is nearly impossible. Unless Cartesia’s men arrive.”

Even black holes have lifespans.

The death of an Outer God begins with the cease of activity in the black hole to which they belong.

“One of you has to give up all the energy of your black hole. Then, I can control that girl as I wish for a brief moment.”

“…….”

“Well, any volunteers?”

Naturally, no one stepped forward.

At that moment, an Outer God from the Darwin Legion approached, dragging its head behind it. It resembled a shriveled mushroom doing a handstand.

“We transcended the differences in our armies to create this hideout, combining our strengths to prevent the ‘apocalypse.’ But Safaul, what you’re doing now seems likely to cause division.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Is it right to sacrifice the few for the many? From my perspective, it looks like you’re making rash decisions for your own benefit.”

Safaul looked displeased with the rebuttal.

“That makes sense. Why not just observe the situation instead?”

“Who knows? Before the resonance machine is completed, that girl might leave the sanctuary—or worse, she might die.”

“One of us can’t die.”

He glanced at the other Outer Gods, who nodded in agreement, their expressions revealing a shared belief.

Weak. Within this group, they were merely narrow black holes, lacking the strength to confront the larger issues at hand.

It’s definitely frightening to be singled out.

Safaul quietly nodded while harboring different thoughts. Whom to sacrifice.

“Here, try the apple pie made by our household android. It’s a first-rate pie crafted with apples and honey from the Kentak Orchard. By the way, did you know there’s a Western Physics Association on Kentak planet? I had an interview with their professors not long ago…”

“……”

“I’ll explain what we learned in calculus class this week. Let’s look at an example involving partial derivatives. Wow, this is an incredibly important equation that you must know.”

“……”

“There will be a resonator development seminar in week five. We’ll present based on last week’s research results and have time to hear students’ opinions. Before we begin, are there any questions from last week?”

“……”

Bound in a straitjacket, dependent on others for food, shelter, and basic needs, confined in solitude, subjected to lewd and lascivious acts—this is bullshit.

I feel like I’m losing my mind.

“Tonight’s special is fried dumplings.”

“Kill me, please.”

I admit it now: the current Aidel is distinctly different from previous iterations.

He has become even crazier.

If he were merely engaging in mindless sexual harassment, I could have bitten my tongue and died. Or, if my hands were free, I would have killed him instantly.

But it’s neither of those which drives me even more insane.

“Today’s side dish is braised carrots. Very good for eye health.”

“No, I don’t want them.”

“Now, don’t be picky. Just listen while you eat. Finding the materials for the resonator is our top priority. However, it seems we can’t make it with just naturally occurring substances. What our research team is trying to create is…”

Finally, Ire exploded.

“Stop it already! I feel like I’m going crazy!”

Mentally exhausted, yet paradoxically, her defenses crumbled. It was thanks to Aidel’s presentation being more hopeful than she had expected.

“Just sexually harass me instead! Spit out some dirty jokes or something!”

“No.”

“Why not?!”

At least then, she could justify committing suicide…!

Lingering attachments held her back. What if this worldline—the one she had longed for so much—was the ‘happy ending’ worldline? What if it slipped away from her grasp forever?

Ire was deeply suspicious. After hundreds of thousands of iterations, how many times had she met her end at the hands of villains who pretended to be kind?

So the lesson learned was simple: ‘Go alone.’

Without relying on anyone, without listening to anyone—only gathering Constellations and collecting fortuitous encounters, racing toward the ideal of a happy ending.

That had become Ire’s guiding principle at some point. But then…

“You think I’m harassing you? Why? That’s a crime.”

“Tying me up like this isn’t a crime…?”

“That’s because your mind is filled with evil thoughts.”

“……”

“That’s why I mentioned there are people from the government department outside. You didn’t properly listen when I explained it last week.”

Legal—just that one word turned Ire’s world upside down.

“So, where was I? Ah, what a Lich Tensor is…”

“This is just physical perversion—!!” Ire shouted, feeling as if she were coughing up blood from the frustration.

At her outburst, Aidel’s expression shifted completely.

“……So now you’re finally looking at me properly?” he said, his voice low and teasing.

At that moment, his face seemed more perverted than ever.

Meanwhile, at that moment, Rustila was boarding a shuttle bound for the Southern Holy Sanctuary.

Her reason for this journey was simple yet troubling: Aidel hadn’t responded to any of her messages for the past few days.